Happy 2016! I love the New Year. There is something about taking down holiday decorations that makes everything clean and crisp again. There is a sense of reflection, renewal, and focus in the air.

As we reflect on last year, we really focused on member value and what it meant to be a member of our chapter. As such, we have seen our membership grow and our last 3 events have been sold out. We are starting the year off with a solid footing thanks to our members’ feedback and the leadership of our directors, managers, coordinators, and volunteers.

We have seen a renewal in our Special Interests Groups (SIG) and Geographic Interest Groups (GIG) ; we now have six groups. The Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) Study Group SIG just announced its 2016 dates. Is this year the year you considerer a CLCP? Still not sure? Connect with us to chat about the CPLP.

At ATD Puget Sound, we are focusing on another great year. Our Programs and Special Events teams are working hard to bring events our members have been requesting. We have the first quarter’s chapter meetings planned with January’s topic being one of my favorites- Lean Project Management in Talent Development. Our conference team is in full swing planning the 2-day conference held in October with this year’s focus on Our Legacy as Learning Professionals.

The New Year is the perfect time for us to reflect, renew, and focus as Talent Development Professionals. It is my sincere hope that we engage with you in a way that allows you to explore and grow both personally and professionally.

The Association for Talent Development defines Performance Improvement as the application of a systematic process for analyzing human performance gaps and for closing them. Successfully executing on initiatives around performance improvement means being able to:

Identify the customer

Conduct performance analysis

Conduct cause analysis

Analyze systems

Gather data

Incorporate customer and stakeholder needs

Select solutions

Manage and implement projects

Build and sustain relationships

Evaluate results against organizational goals

Monitor change

Performance Improvement is a competency all learning and training professionals must exhibit to be skilled in their work. As talent development professionals, we know that one of the best ways to cultivate learning is to provide opportunities for best practice sharing among learners. This member meeting will be a facilitated conversation, where members will share with each other their best practices on performance improvement. Come share your best practices with each other by bringing examples of how you identify, measure, and improve performance in your organizations—or, review the list above before the chapter meeting to help spark your own questions about how to overcome a performance improvement hurdle you're facing. Register here.

Research in Transition

This year, the New Year brings with it some exciting transitions. After a year as the Director of Research for ATD Puget Sound, I'm taking on the role of President Elect. I've appreciated the opportunity to learn about our chapter from the surveys and research that we've conducted. And I'm thrilled that we now have a chapter subscription for Survey Monkey, which means that the data is available for the future director as she determines how to evolve our research and what we learn from it.

I'm happy to share that Erin Clarke has been voted in as our director of Research. You may know Erin from your registration experience at Chapter Meetings. This experience has given her a chance to get to know many of our Puget Sound members as well as the overall organization. In addition, Erin brings so much to this position including a CPLP, and MA in I/O Psychology. I know we'll appreciate her in this role and on the board. Please join me in giving Erin a warm welcome.

As it is the traditional time of resolutions, many of which aren't kept, I have spent the past few weeks reflecting (and reading about) building good habits.

As professionals in talent development and behavior change, my challenge to you is not to just make resolutions, but to commit to building new habits (or eliminating bad ones). Repeat a practice, create a routine, build a habit!

December 1st saw the first ever Learn-a-palooza as a kickoff to Employee Learning Week. Over 100 participants descended on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for this unique event, hosted by former ATDps board president & Gates Learning Innovation & Technology Manager, Darren Nerland.

Due to positive response to the event, we're considering making it an annual event and extending it to a day-long workshop so participants can sample various topics in the morning speed learning rounds, followed by deeper dives in the afternoon.

Thanks again to our generous sponsors, The Gates Foundation and Design Laboratory Inc. (DLI) for making this event possible. We are grateful to all of the SMEs for facilitating tge Speed Learning Rounds and to Geoff Stead fir his timely keynote talk. Thanks to all of the participants, chapter members and non-members alike, who brought such great energy, curiosity, and enthusiasm to make Learn-a-palooza a success. Thanks also for your feedback, helping us offer an even better workshop next year.

If you haven't yet, please share your Learn-a-palooza experience with us by taking this quick survey. The survey closes Friday January 15th!

The ATD Puget Sound CPLP Study Group will continue with virtual sessions on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month. We will begin the new cycle through the ATD Learning System starting on January 12, 2016!

Watch for (and ask about) face-to-face Intensive CPLP Exam Prep and/or CPLP Work Product Review sessions that can be scheduled prior to Knowledge Exam testing windows or Work Product submission dates if there is enough interest.

Jan 12 - Chapter 1: Performance Improvement

Jan 26 - Chapter 2: Instructional Design

Feb 9 - Chapter 3: Training Delivery

Feb 23 - Chapter 4: Learning Technologies

Mar 8 - Chapter 5: Evaluating Learning Impact

Mar 22 - Chapter 6: Managing Learning Programs

Add More to Your Membership

Power Membership offers members twice the support, twice the resources, and twice the networking than just one membership.

ATD membership provides the tools you need for success. Chapter membership applies those tools to your organization and community. Together you are a Power Member!